There is known a vehicle-body front structure in which a gusset extends from an inner portion of a front side frame to the outside of the vehicle front side, and a front end portion of an upper member is joined with an outer end portion of the gusset. Since the gusset extends from the inner portion of the front side frame, the gusset is strongly joined with the inner portion of the front side frame (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5357953).
Hence, for example, if a relatively large impact load is input to the front end portion of the upper member due to a small overlap collision of the vehicle, the input impact load can be transmitted to the front side frame through the gusset. Accordingly, the front side frame is deformed by the impact load of the small overlap collision, and the impact load can be absorbed.
The small overlap collision represents that a front side part which is ¼ of a front part of a vehicle collides with an obstacle, such as a tree or a utility pole.
In the vehicle-body front structure described in Japanese Patent No. 5357953, impact absorption members respectively protrude from front end portions of left and right front side frames, and a bumper beam is bridged between front end portions of the left and right impact absorption members. Hence, in case of a front collision of the vehicle, an impact load is input to the bumper beam, the input impact load deforms the impact absorption members, and the impact load can be absorbed by the impact absorption members.
There is also known a vehicle-body front structure in which a gusset is fixed to an inner portion of a front end portion of a front side frame, the fixed gusset protrudes to the outside in the vehicle width direction, and an impact absorption member protrudes from a front end portion of the gusset (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-9712).
In the vehicle-body front structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-9712, a bumper beam is bridged between front end portions of left and right impact absorption members, and outer end portions of the bumper beam extend to the outside in the vehicle width direction of gussets.
Hence, the impact load of the small overlap collision can be transmitted from the outer end portions of the bumper beam to the front side frames through the gussets. Accordingly, the front side frames are deformed by the impact load of the small overlap collision, and the impact load can be absorbed.
Also, in case of the front collision of the vehicle, an impact load is input to the bumper beam, the input impact load deforms the impact absorption members, and the impact load can be absorbed by the impact absorption members.
However, the vehicle-body front structures described in Japanese Patent No. 5357953 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-9712 each are required to additionally prepare the impact absorption members in order to absorb the impact load due to the front collision of the vehicle. Hence, the number of parts of the vehicle-body front structure increases, and this disturbs a decrease in cost. In addition, since the impact absorption members protrude from the front end portions of the front side frames, this disturbs a decrease in vehicle total length.
Further, in the vehicle-body front structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-9712, the outer end portions of the bumper beam extend to the outside in the vehicle width direction of the gussets. Owing to this, the total length of the bumper beam increases, and the weight of the bumper beam increases, thereby disturbing a decrease in weight of the vehicle.